Wind farms are costly

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), March 10, 2004

Electricity from offshore wind farms will cost at least twice as much as from conventional sources, according to a report out today. The Royal Academy of Engineering said the cheapest electricity was generated from gas turbines and nuclear power stations.

Coal generation looked uneconomic in the future, especially because of the impact of curbing carbon dioxide emissions, said the report.

Poison talk

A SCIENTIST who tried to poison his wife and cover his tracks by spiking products in a local supermarket is lecturing students on ethics. Paul Agutter, 57, of Athelstaneford, East Lothian, known as the Safeway poisoner, has been employed on a part-time basis by the University of Manchester.

Facing death

WASHINGTON Sniper mastermind John Muhammad plans an appeal after being sentenced to death by a US judge who called the shootings that left 10 people dead "so vile that they were almost beyond comprehension". His teenage accomplice, Lee Malvo, is to be sentenced today to life in prison after a jury spared him the death penalty.

TV star dead

ROBERT Pastorelli, pictured, who played the screwball housepainter Eldin on the hit US TV show Murphy Brown, has been found dead from a suspected drug overdose.

CCTV hope

THE search for a 17-year old girl who vanished after a party was continuing today. Police were studying CCTV footage yesterday as they searched for clues over the disappearance of Charlotte Pinkney, of Ilfracombe, north Devon, who has been missing for more than 10 days.

She vanished after being dropped off by car at 4am after a party in Ilfracombe, north Devon.

Cancer gap

THE gap between the number of rich and poor patients who survive cancer has grown during the past two decades. While overall five-year survival rates have increased to record levels, thanks to new treatments and greater awareness, more deprived parts of society are not seeing the benefits as much.

Homes protest

NURSING home owners were descending on Westminster today to protest at the growing amount of red tape they say is damaging the care industry.